Cutting machine



L. ELLER CUTTING MACHINE Aug. 22, 1950 s Sheets-She et 1 Filed Jan. 16,1947 INVENTOR.

LEE ELLER k Patented Aug. 22, 1950 CUTTING MACHINE Lee Eller, Spokane,Wash., assignor to A. E. Rains, Spokane, Wash.

Application January 16, 1947, Serial No. 722,413

9 Claims.

The present invention. relates to improvements in, a cutting machine.

The machine embodying my invention is particularly adapted for thecutting of such materials as wood, asbestos, rubber, plastic, andrelatively soft metals into small particles for use in the making ofpacking material such as. that disclosed in United States Patent No.2,363,688 to Pollard. These small, particles are utilized as packingaround shafting. The demand for soft packing is relatively great and itis essential to have equipment that can cut up the small pyramidalparticles out of flat sheet material of the proper thickness at a rapidrate. Otherwisev the cost of cutting the material becomes prohibitive.It is the principal purpose of the present inven tion to provide acutting machine for this purpose wherein the operation is simple andrequires little or no attention other than to see that the sheetmaterialis supplied. to it.

It is a further purpose of my invention to provide a machine of thischaracter wherein a plurality of cutting knives and a feeding device areoperated in timed relation to each other from a single drive shaft sothat the sheet material is advanced, then out by a forming knife having.angularly faced cutting edges, the formed portions are severed from thesheet by a straight edged knife while the forming knife is making itsinitial cutting movement and the process is repeated without thenecessity of any manual control whatsoever, other than to bring freshsheets of material into the feeding device as they are needed.

My invention comtemplates a construction wherein an anvil forms part ofthe base having an upright frame in which a drive shaft is supported. Aguide table and feed mechanism are mounted on the base. The drive forthe cutting mechanism comprises a pair of eccentrics on the drive shaft.Cutter carrying frames are mounted for vertical reciprocation in theupright frame. An eccentric shoe in each cutter carrying frame has abearing for the eccentric on the shaft. The frames are guided by theshaft support frame for reciprocation towardand away from the anvil.(Zutter knives are removably secured in place on the frame so thatdifferent sizes of material may be cut and formed. by merely changingthe knives. In most instances, it is only necessary to change theforming knives. The feeding is accomplished by a readily replaceable camwhich is mounted on the shaft and which operates a feeder shoe todepress a pivoted feeding frame each time the shaft rotates. The feedingframe carries reversible feeding ratchet teeth which are spring mountedto supply the necessary lift for the feeding frame after it has beendepressed. In addition the sheet guide, which guides the sheets to. thecutters, carries a series of reversible holding ratchet teeth to preventthe sheet from moving backward after it has advanced.

It is alsov a purpose of my invention to provide in a cutter of thecharacter described a novel mechanism whereby the sheet material may befed forward automatically at a rate that varies. with the thickness ofthe sheet.

The novel features that I consider characteristic of my invention areset forth with particularity in the claims. The invention itself,however, both as to its organization and its method of operation,together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will beunderstood from, the description of a specific embodiment when read inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan View partly in section of the cutting machine;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through the machine;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary section of the view taken on the line 3-3 ofFigure 2 showing the knife supporting frame and associated parts;

Figure l is a section on the line 6-4 of Figure 3 showing only the knifecarrying frame;

Figure 5 is a view in, side elevation of the straight edged knife;

Figure 6 is a sectional view through the straight edged knife;

Figure l is a side view of the forming knife;

Figure 8 is a sectional View through the forming knife;

Figure 9 is a bottom face view of the cutter knife shown in Figures 7and 8;

Figure 1G is a detail view showing the knife operatin eccentrics on thedrive shaft;

Figure 11 is a view in side elevation of the feed ratchet springstirrup; and

Figure 12 is an end view of the stirrup.

Referring now in detail to the drawings. my invention is embodied in acutting machine wherein the main frame of the machine comprises an anvili which has two side plates 2 and 3 fastened thereto by suitable screws4 and 5. Abase Plate s is also fastened to the anvil I by suitablescrews i. A sheet guide 8 is mounted on the. side plate 3 that extendshorizontally from the anvil, the top of the guide being substantiallyflush with the anvil itself. The anvil desirably is made of bronze andthe other parts thus far described are generally constructed of steel.side rails 9 and H] are provided on the guide 8 and utilized to mountthe feeding mechanism by which sheets such as the sheet i l areadvanced.

The side plates 2 and 3 are longer than the anvil and serve as amounting means for two cutter frame guides 52 and it which projectupwardly at the opposite ends of the anvil. Suitable screw bolts M andIii secure the guides to the side plates. The guides in turn serve as asupporting means for a cutter head bearing plate It which is recessed asshown at H to receive a ball bearing assembly 58 that mounts a driveshaft l9. A similar cutter head supporting plate 20 is mounted on theguides l2 and it on the side opposite the bearing plate it. The platesit and 20 are identical in construction, the plate 2% being recessed at2! to receive a ball bearing assembly 22 so that the shaft i9 issupported at two spaced points.

The guides l2 and it and the plates 16 and 2c serve to guide two cuttingknife frames 23 and 24 for vertical reciprocation. These cutting knifeframes are identical in construction and are illustrated more clearly inFigures 3 and 4 of the drawings. Each frame consists of a rectangularportion 25 and a knife mounting portion 2%; at the lower side edge ofthe portion 25. This knife mounting portion is provided with a series ofapertures 2! so that a knife such as the knife 23 or the knife 28 may befastened thereto by screw bolts ac and 3!. The portion 25 has arectangular aperture 32 cut therein to receive a shoe 33 whichpreferably is constructed of bronze and which has a bearing ring B lsecured therein. The shoe 33 has a sliding fit with the upper and lowersurfaces of the aperture 32 and can move to the right or left as shownin Figure 3 within the aperture. The shaft 9 has an eccentric portion 35which fits in the bearing 34 of the frame 23. The shaft is also has aneccentric portion 36 off set angularly with respect to the portion 35 asshown in Figure 10. The eccentric portion 35 rides in the bearing 34a.of the frame 24. Rotation of the shaft [9 causes vertical recipro cationof the frames 23 and 2d so as to cause the knives 28 and 29 to move upand down, the knife 28 engaging in the material first and forming itafter which the knife 29 cuts the material from the sheet. I have foundthat this method of cutting the material works quite satisfactorily withwood. and asbestos sheet material where the asbestos is bound togetherwith a suitable binder such as an asphalt. It can also be used to cutrubber or the soft metals and to form the particles cut from the sheetinto the desired shape. This shape is somewhat of a pyramid shape sothat the particles do not present two sides parallel to each other.There is some considerable variation, of course, and in the case of woodsome of the particles crack or break, but the formation is sufiicientfor the purpose intended and the knives can be operated at a relativelyrapid rate so that the production is quite high. Note that theconstruction is such that the machine can be built in different widthsto take diiferent sheets and of course the wider the sheet, the greaterthe amount of production for each rotation of the drive shaft.

The plate 2i} has spring fingers 3'! which extend downwardly and towardthe knives 28 and 29 so as to engage the sheet i l in advance of theknife. These Sp ing fingers 3? are secured to the plate 20 by screwbolts and are provided at spaced intervals across the sheet. They holdthe sheet ll 4 against the anvil so that the knives can be readilystripped from the material without lifting the sheet.

The shaft is has a reduced end portion 35 which mounts an eccentric cam39 for operating the sheet feeding mechanism. This cam 39 rides upon acam shoe 55 which preferably is made of bronze and which extendshorizontally between two upstanding end portions 4i and sf of a feederframe 53. The feeder frame 43 is in the form of a U-shaped yoke which ispivoted by a shaft is on two pedestals 65a and 6% which are mounted 1near the rear end of the guide 8 on the side rails e and it. The shoe itis carried by a shaft 55 that is mounted in the portions :21 and d2 ofthe frame 33.

The feeding mechanism comprises reversible pawls d6 which are pivotallymounted in a shaft 67 that connects the end portions 4| and 52 of theframe 43. These pawls are spaced apart on the shaft 4? and are free topivot thereon. The pawls have the shape of a parallelogram in lengthwisesection so as to present feeding tips 48 and 49 at their opposite ends.They are symmetrical with respect to the shaft 57 in order that they maybe reversed when one of the feeding tips becomes worn until it is nolonger serviceable. Each of the pawls 56 has two sockets 50 and 5! onlyone of which is used at a time to receive a compression spring 52 thaturges the pawls into engagement with the sheet ll. These springs arefitted in a spring stirrup 53 which is bolted to the frame 43.

The operation of the pawls 46 is as follows: When the cam 39 moves theshoe fill downwardly the frame 43 swings about the pivot of the shaft Mand causes the pawls 45 to swing in a clockwise direction as shown inFigure 2 on the shaft 41. This causes the feeding tips 48 to move to theleft as shown in Figure 2 and to shove the sheet I l along the guide 8an amount which is determined by the extent to which the cam shoe 4%! isdepressed by the cam 39. When the cam 39 moves so that its thickestportion is above the shaft 38, the springs 52 lift up all the pawls andin doing so, lift the frame 43 so that the shoe id follows the camsurface and remains in contact therewith at all times. The feeding tips58 on the pawls 36 will slide back along the sheet H which is heldagainst sliding backward by a mechanism which will now be described.

On the opposite sides of the frame 43 two pedestals 55 and 56 aremounted near the stirrup 53. These pedestals are mounted on the siderails 9 and it and project up above the frame 43 where a cross bar 51connects them. Below the lower limit of movement of the frame 43 thepedestals are interconnected by a shaft 58 which serves to pivctallymount a plurality of checking or holding pawls 59. These pawls 59 likethe pawls Q6 are so constructed as to be reversible. They have holdingtips 60 and BI at their opposite ends. Each pawl also carries twomounting pins 62 and 63 which are used to secure springs 64. The springs64 are hooked over the cross bar 51 and are under tension so that theytend to press the pawls 59 against a sheet I l in order that the tipsthereon will bite into the sheet and prevent it from being pulledbackwards.

It is of advantage to have some means by which the sheet thickness isgaged and the sheet is prevented from rising above the guide 8. In orderto accomplish this, I provide a gage bar 65 which extends across thesheet between the pawls 45 and 59 and which is removably mounted byscrew bo'ltsfi'fi onthe side rails 9 and 10. The gage bar 65 can bereplaced when different thicknesses of sheet are used so that it is ofthe proper height above the guide-8.

Thefeedof the sheet can be varied in anumber of ways. The throw of thecam 46-as the bar 43 is'depressed determines the amount of feed given tothe sheet I I. Thus, b changing the cam 39, which is secured to theshaft portion 38 by a setscrew 61, the throw of the pawls 46 can bechanged. Likewise, the throw canbe changed by means of the cam shoe 4!)within a, certain range. If the cam shoe is turned so as to increase thedistance from the shaft 45 to the surface of the eccentric cam 39 thiswill normally depress the frame 43 to a lower level and cause a lesseramount of feed by the pawls 45, since, with a given eccentric cam 39 thehorizontal travel of the point 48 on the pawl 4'6 will be less for thesame angular turn of the pawl as the pawl approaches horizontalposition; This provides ample control for taking care of dilferentthicknesses of sheets and different amounts of feed desired in movingthe sheet to the cutters 28 and 29.

Referring now particularly to Figures '5 to 8 inclusive, these figuresshow thecutting knives in detail. The knife 28 has its cutting edgeformed so as to present angularly disposed sections 10 and H alternatingthrough the length of the knife. The edges are bevelled as shown, andthe angulardisposition of the edges 10 and H is accomplished by grindingor cutting out the stock of the knife from the edges "iii and H upwardlyalong curved surfaces indicated at. 12 and 13, these surfaces meeting atthe apex of the angle between the two edges Hi and H. The surfaces 12and 1.3 are alternately formed on opposite sides of the knives as shownin Figures 7,8 and 9.

The knife 29 is a straight bar of the same length as the knife 28 andhas its cutting edge bevelled as indicated at M. The function of thisknife isto cutoff thesheet'while it is being formed by the knife 28.

It is believed to be evident-from the foregoing description that in theoperation of this device, once a sheet is placed in position, rotationof the shaft 19 will thereafter advance the sheet and out it intoparticles of predetermined size and shape, The eccentrics 35 and 35 areSo disposed on the shaft ii! that the straight knife 29 is loweredfirstand then the angular knife is brought down on the material to startforming it before the straight knife has completely severed it. Thematerial is thus grasped by the angular knife and partially formedbefore it is completely severed by the straight knife. After theseverance the angular knife completes its stroke so as to form twogroups of severed particles, one group on each side of the angularknife, from the piece cut off by the straight knife. The angularpositions of the cams 35 and 36 are illustrated in Figure 0 of thedrawings where it will be seen that the eccentric which operates theangular knife trails the eccentric which operates the straight edgedknife by about 120 degrees. Both of the knives are raised substantiallyclear of the material by the time the cam 39 starts to lower the frame33 to advance the sheet for the next cut.

From the foregoing description it is believed that the nature andadvantages of my invention will be clear to those skilled in this art.Having thus described my invention, I claim;

1. A cutting machine of the character described comprising a, baseincluding an anvil, a guide plate for guiding a sheet to the anvil, an.upright frame above the anvil, a cutting knife frame and a formingknife frame mounted for vertical reciprocation insaid upright frame, adrive shaft supported by said upright frame, eccentric cams on saidshaft, cam shoes in said knife frames having bearings for said cams, asheet feeding frame on'said base pivoted at a point remote from theanvil for angularmovement toward and away from the sheet guiding plate,spring pressed feeding-pawls on said sheet feeding frame, and means onthe shaft for depressing the sheet feeding frame in timed relation tothe lowering of said knife frames.

2. A machine for cutting and forming sheets of wood, rubber, asphaltasbestos composition and the like into small pieces comprising a frame,an anvil thereon, a cutting knife and a forming knife mounted in saidframe for reciprocation toward and away from the anvil, drive means toreciprocate said knives, a sheet guide for directing a sheet across saidanvil, and sheet feeding means for advancing a sheet along said guidecomprising a pawl supporting shaft movable toward and away from 13,sheet on said guide,

pawls pivoted on said bar to rock in planes perpendicular to the shaftand to the sheet and extending diagonally toward the anvil from theshaft, spring means mounted on the frame urg- .ing the pawls to rock inone direction tending to move the shaft away from the sheet and drivemeans for moving the shaft toward the Sheet to rock'the pawls in theopposite direction and ef- "fect feeding of the sheet.

3. A machine for cutting and forming sheets of 7 wood. rubber, asphalt,asbestos composition and the like into small pieces comprising a frame,an anvil thereon, a cutting knife and a forming knife mounted in saidframe for reciprocation toward and away from the anvil, drive means toreciprocate said knives, a sheet guide for directing a sheet across saidanvil, and sheet feeding means for advancing a sheet along said guidecomprising a pawl supporting shaft movable toward and away from a sheeton said guide, pawls pivoted on said bar to rock in planes perpendicularto the "shaft and to the sheet and extending diagonally toward the anvilfrom the shaft, spring means mounted on the frame urging the pawls torock in one direction tending to move the shaft away from the sheet anddrive means for moving the shaft toward the sheet to rock the pawls inthe opposite direction and effect feeding of the sheet, the said drivemeans comprising a shaft having a cam thereon for operating each knifeand a cam for operating the pawl shaft,

4. A cutting machine of the character described comprising a baseincluding an anvil, a guide plate for guiding a sheet to the anvil, anupright fname above the anvil, a cutting knife frame and a forming knifeframe mounted for vertical reciprocation in said upright frame, saidknife frame comprising rectangular plates arranged side by side andhaving knives removably secured thereon, a drive shaft supported by saidupright frame, eccentric cams on said shaft, cam shoes in said knifeframes having bearings for said cams, a sheet feeding frame on said basepivoted at a point remote from the anvil for angular movement toward andaway from the sheet guiding plate, spring pressed feeding pawls on saidsheet feeding frame, and means on the shaft for depressing the sheetfeeding frame in timed relation to the lowering of said knife frames. 7

5. A cutting machine of the character described comprising a baseincluding an anvil, a guide plate for guiding a sheet to the anvil, anupright frame above the anvil, a cutting knife frame and a forming knifeframe mounted for 7 vertical reciprocation in said upright frame, saidknife frame comprising rectangular plates carrying cutting and formingknives, each plate having a rectangular window therein, a drive shaftsupported by said upright frame, eccentric cams on said shaft, cam shoesmounted for horizontal sliding movement in the windows in said knifeframes having bearings for said cams, a sheet feeding frame on said basepivoted at a point remote from the anvil for angular movement toward andaway from the sheet guiding plate, spring pressed feeding pawls on saidsheet feeding frame, and means on the shaft for depressing the sheetfeeding frame in timed relation to the lowering of said knife frames.

6. A cutting machine of the character described comprising a baseincluding an anvil, a guide plate for guiding a sheet to the anvil, anupright frame above the anvil, a cutting knife frame and a forming knifeframe mounted for vertical reciprocation in said upright frame, a driveshaft supported by said upright frame, eccentric cams on said shaft, camshoes in said knife frames having bearings for said cams, a sheetfeeding frame on said base pivoted at a point remote from the anvil forangular movement toward and away from the sheet guiding plate, springpressed feeding pawls on said sheet feeding frame, holding pawl means[positioned to engage a sheet on said guide plate and prevent reversemovement thereof by the feeding pawls, and means on the shaft fordepressing the sheet feeding frame in timed relation to the lowering ipoint remote from the anvil for angular movement toward and away fromthe sheet guiding plate, spring pressed feeding pawls on said sheetfeeding frame, a cam engaging bar on said sheet feeding frame and a camon said shaft engaging the bar to depress the sheet feeding frame intimed relation to the lowering of the knife frames.

8. In a cutting machine of the character described, a frame, an anvilthereon, guide means for guiding a sheet to be cut to the anvil, acutting knife mounted in said frame for reciprocation toward and awayfrom the anvil, for severing a portion of the sheet from the advancingend of a sheet on said anvil, a forming knife alongside the cuttingknife also mounted in said frame for reciprocation toward and away fromthe anvil, having its edge shaped to divide said portion of the sheetinto small particles, and means to reciprocate said knives.

9. In a cutting machine of the character described, a frame, an anvilthereon, guide means for' guiding a sheet to be cut to the anvil, acutting knife mounted in said frame for reciprocation toward and awayfrom the anvil for severing a portion of the sheet from the advancingend of a sheet on said anvil, a forming knife alongside the cuttingknife also mounted in said frame for reciprocation toward and away fromthe anvil, having its edge shaped to divide said portion of the sheetinto small particles, means operable to press the cutting knife into thesheet and means operable to press the forming knife into the portion ofthe sheet about to be severed before the cutting knife completely seversit from the sheet.

LEE ELLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 2,185 Eaton Mar. 6, 1866765,486 Humiston July 19, 1964 896,924 Lieb Aug. 25, 1908 906,572 SmithDec. 15, 1908 1,617,486 Huston Feb. 15, 1927 1,620,354 Jones Mar. 8,1927 1,816,806 Gangloif July 28, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number CountryDate 658,681 Germany Apr. '7, 1938

